Lin Lishan tidied her clothes and gave her daughter a sidelong glance. What would people think if they heard what this child was saying? Still, she was quite pleased with her daughter’s concern. As she stepped out of the room, she saw at the main entrance Zhang Guoqing and Fang Fei, and Xiao Zhou, who had their arms around each other’s shoulders, causing a ruckus as they entered the courtyard. Again, pride for her son-in-law welled up inside her; look how well he gets along.
Fang Fei, the sharp-eyed one, spotted her first, "Aunt Shan, how’s it going? You must feel very happy seeing your precious daughter and grandson? You sure are impressive as a grandma; you’re the youngest-looking one in the Big Courtyard." Saying that, he gave her a thumbs-up.
"Sure, impressive indeed. When you go back, have a proper talk with your mom about my Little Ping’an. See if she’ll push you to go on blind dates? You’re not getting any younger, you know. Look at my National Day; he’s already got kids. Just tell Aunt Shan what kind you’re looking for. I have plenty of girls in the Art Troupe. And Xiao Zhou, don’t laugh at Xiao Fei. When you go back this time, you also need to look and get married."
"Oh, come on. You should talk to Little Ping’an when you go back. I still want to enjoy my days. My mom now wants to pull any female she sees home to be a daughter-in-law." Fang Fei lightly kicked Zhang Guoqing, this guy really attracts animosity.
Lin Lishan watched the three of them fooling around together and chuckled, "Where did you all go before coming back?"
Xiao Zhou, smiling, looked at the two playing around, "We took Xiao Wu outside to park the car. We didn’t expect this guy to be so clever; look how he tried driving a few times, and in less than half an hour, he was driving smoothly."
"You two were good teachers. Head back inside. I’ll go to the kitchen to see if there’s anything I can help with." Saying that, she walked towards the kitchen.
Outside the kitchen, the aroma of steamed rice, stir-fried meat with chili, and mushroom stewed chicken wafted from afar, making everyone even hungrier. A few children obediently stayed nearby, sniffing the air with their noses, without making a fuss. When they saw her, they obediently called out "Grandma," and she smiled and praised them a few times while pulling out candies from her pocket to give to each of them.
The kitchen inside was bustling, with several people engaged in work. The steam was everywhere. As she entered, she could see that dinner was nearly finished being prepared. Besides Mother Zhang and Jiao Jiao, two more women, who were probably Zhang Guoqing’s aunts, were there helping.
"Big sister, you’re all so busy, preparing such a feast. I’m really in for a treat. Look at what I can help with. These must be Xiao Wu’s aunt and sister-in-law? You’ve really put in a lot of effort, and look how well Old Zhang’s family maintains relationships." Lin Lishan walked over to Mother Zhang and saw her serving the dishes.
Mother Zhang put down the plate and, seeing her in-laws arrive, let out a cheerful laugh. Pointing to the big sister-in-law and little aunt, she said, "Sis, what are you doing here? Everything’s ready; the table’s set in the main room. We can start serving the dishes when ready. This is Xiao Wu’s big sister-in-law and little aunt. Whenever there’s anything, I find them, as we’re all one family. Isn’t that right? Sisters-in-law, this is my in-law, Jiao Jiao’s mother."
The big sister-in-law was a straightforward, lively elderly woman, probably in her fifties or sixties, looking lean yet energetic. Her clothes were patched but clean and faded, all tidy, with neat hair and clean fingernails. She was known for bringing good fortune to weddings in the neighboring ten villages.
She looked at Zhou Jiao’s mother, already grinning before speaking, "We remember you well. Many people came to see the new bride when you got married. You’re still so beautiful without showing any age. Since you’re back now, you should spend some quality time with Jiao Jiao. She’s such a clever and sensible child; she grew up right under our eyes, and suddenly she’s all grown up." The little aunt nodded in agreement; she purposefully went to the bridal chamber to look at the bride back then.
Lin Lishan laughed heartily, "We’re all getting older. I was just 18, still a flower, now already a grandma. My Jiao Jiao always tells me how her aunts and sisters treat her well. Especially her mother-in-law, my big sister is indeed a good person, treating her like her own daughter. I told her she must repay the kindness well later. It’s rare to have such wonderful in-laws, and her sisters-in-laws treat her like their own sister. I used to worry before coming here, but now I’m utterly relieved and happy."
The little aunt agreed since her second sister-in-law is indeed a good mother-in-law who never covets her daughter-in-laws. "Our late grandmother often said: there’s nothing better than a good mother-in-law, a good son, or a good daughter-in-law. My second sister-in-law is blessed with a good mother-in-law, a good son, and a good daughter-in-law. Look at these two daughters-in-law after so many years; they never quarreled or argued. The three brothers grew up harmoniously, and the village always says second sister-in-law knows how to manage the family well, living comfortably, always envied by others."
Mother Zhang chuckled at the compliments, "None of your daughters-in-law quarreled with you. Don’t tease me anymore; I know my own temper; it’s quite urgent. However, these kids are indeed good. The eldest’s daughter-in-law married into us for ten years now, helping me take care of the younger siblings without complaints. The second’s daughter-in-law is scolded by me the most, yet she never holds grudges against me, never keeping things in her heart. If she’s like those jumpy village daughters-in-law, wouldn’t we be fighting all the time? My Jiao Jiao has always been sensible, never upsetting me. Indeed, having good daughters-in-law makes for good mothers-in-law. With them, I’m truly content."
Lin Lishan listened with genuine admiration, never having seen such a harmonious family from south to north, let alone with her bothersome father-in-law. A good mother-in-law would be useless; just like Jiao Jiao said, even she had to pay attention to others’ moods.
"That’s right, you’ve long been content, beyond which we would all have opinions. Your greatest satisfaction ought to be your old man’s constant care and fear of angering you. Haha, we’re heading out then; nothing left to do here. If anyone needs help, let Xi Zi or someone call over. Jiao Jiao’s mother, do stay a while longer, come chat at our place when you have time." The big sister-in-law joked, pulling the little aunt’s arm to leave.
Mother Zhang hurriedly grabbed both their arms, refusing to let them leave. "Leaving after finishing work? What does that mean? Look down on me? Have dinner here tonight. I’ll have my old man invite your husbands over to drink with her grandpa."
The little aunt helplessly glanced at her arm, feeling tugging looked a bit awkward. "Today you’re with your in-law, and tomorrow at the baby’s washing ceremony you won’t let us come, we’ll bring the kids over then. Don’t pull anymore, in front of the kids, it’s embarrassing. We’ve already prepared dinner at home and need to head back to handle family affairs."
"I certainly can’t let you leave empty-handed. I know you’re being polite; let’s not burden you with meat dishes, just take a few buns for the kids to taste." Mother Zhang saw they truly didn’t want to stay with her in-laws, thought for a moment, and gave up, turning to pack the buns. Before she could start, the two sisters-in-law had hurried off.
Mother Zhang instructed Oldest Granny Huang Cuilan to pack 20 meat buns to send over. These days meat buns are quite presentable, and the meat filling at home was ample.
Lin Lishan watched them pulling at each other, only able to stand aside and watch. She had never seen such a scene.